Horse owners are continually faced with the problem of removing caked-on mud and dirt from the horse, removing shedding hair, and grooming the horse for show and an attractive appearance. A number of different tools are available for doing these different jobs, and a thorough grooming job generally requires the alternate use of several such tools.
Shedding bars having a straight steel blade with closely spaced teeth are available for removing embedded dirt and mud and for removing shedding hair. Such shedding bars, however, because of the elongated shape of the blade, are inconvenient for use on the legs of the horse or in the cup-shaped regions of the horse's body. Curved shedding blades also are available which may be held in one hand, or which may be extended for two-handed operation, but such blades are difficult to use. In addition, unless such shedding bars or shedding blades are very carefully used, the skin of the horse may be easily cut or irritated.
Then, following use of a shedding bar or blade, a separate grooming tool in the form of a rubber or plastic currycomb or the like is needed to complete the grooming job. Thus, in the past, it has been necessary first to use either a shedding bar or shedding blade to remove the dirt and shedding hair from the horse and then to employ a separate metal or plastic currycomb to complete the grooming.
It is desirable to employ a single tool to handle the grooming and shedding jobs for a horse to replace the conventional currycombs, shedding bars and hard-to-handle shedding blades. It is further desirable to eliminate the necessity for changing from one tool to another when grooming and shedding a horse, and to have such a tool made in a manner which minimizes skin irritation of the horse.